we also heard that senator scott brown had confirmed that report. white house sources are vehemently denying that. the white house saying they have not sent up any bill or any built up to capitol hill today. we expect to have a question comes up when steny hoyer talks with reporters. that is supposed to happen in about five minutes. we will have live coverage when the minority whip speaks to reporters. in the meantime, we will bring you harry reid who opened the senate session this morning with comments on the situation, and we will hear what he had to say about the fiscal cliff now. : new year's eve is fast approaching and for decades and decades the american people have watched the ball drop in times square. it's the countdown to midnight, the start of a new year. but this year, mr. president, the american people are waiting for the ball to drop but it's not going to be a good drop. because americans' taxes are approaching the wrong direction. come the first of this year, americans will have less income than they have today. if we go over the clif